Chase into the Unknown
by Trilby97
Summary: Misunderstood Mafia Edward Cullen and police officer Bella Swan have to leave their differences to embark on a rescue mission of Alice Brandon, who happens to be...well lets keep it a mystery for now. ExB rated M for mature theme.
1. Chapter 1

**The one-shot was submitted for freewriters writing challenge.**

**The prompt that I choose has now become a banner by the very talented Eva. You can check it up on my profile page. Along with that i even have my reward made by Wendy.**

**The usual, i don't own anything, it's all SM's...all i know is how to play around with them. ;)**

**So here it is, hope you all will enjoy it.**

**PS: unbeta'd...so i'm very sorry if at times some of you wanna just bash the shit outta me lol. However through this experience i learnt a lot of things. so please bear and enjoy it^^**

**_Chase Into The Unknown_**

"Stop…!" Isabella Swan shouted out as she took a sharp turn into an alley. She was ready for the bastard with a gun in her hands, just that, the alley was empty and her chase ended in vain, again. It was 11 o'clock in the night, she was exhausted with the day's activities and rather than being at home in her cozy bed, she was out on the chilly New York streets trying to exterminate crime. However she couldn't, not this time and she was irritated. Of course she would be, she was a police officer and this was her duty.

When she reached back home, Charlie was waiting in the dark, he knew exactly what she had been doing and he didn't like it. It was all over his face and it didn't take Bella long to read that.

"I could have caught him you know. He would have been behind bars…" Bella's monologue was interrupted as Charlie got up and spoke, "Bella, at home I'm not your boss, I'm your father. And how many times have I told you not to go after the Cullen's. Life is never black and white... Good night Bells." With that said, he took off for his room.

That is exactly what you get when your father is also your boss along with being the chief of police. But he was right; life is never black and white. However Bella had a different thinking. She viewed the world as good and evil. Evil was black, it was the life that the Cullens' lived. They come from a succession of a mafia family, even though Charlie disagrees on some issues. From the outside they look like a normal business family, obviously, they need a cover up and no one really knows anything about their inner workings.

On the other hand was good, which represented white. They were the law and order people, they were people like Bella Swan. And that was exactly the reason why she was hell bound in putting Edward Cullen behind bars. Charlie used to say that Bella got a little bit of her immaturity from her mother.

Edward's the younger one among the two brothers, other being Emmett Cullen. Both the brothers and Carlisle, their father, own the Cullen Inc. Carlisle's wife, Esme, has a line of clothing under the same name. That should be proof enough why they were filthy rich, but Bella was still not convinced.

Tomorrow would be another big day and she needed her rest. With her last bit of energy, she sent a quick message to her best friend Alice Brandon, but there was no reply. After waiting for 5 minutes, Bella switched off the lights and fell in a deep sleep.

Edward was glad he could outrun Bella; god knows what he would have done. After waiting for awhile, conforming that the wild cat wouldn't pounce on him again; he made his way towards central park. Thankfully the body was still there. He took off the mask and was shocked and disappointed at what he saw. "GAH! A diversion…SHIT!" he punched the nearest light pole and before he could do anything else, he had to dispose of the body.

Bella woke up nice and early, her alarm read 6 am. That gave her ample time to shower, get dressed and have a proper breakfast. Usually she skipped it and survives the mornings on coffee. She checked her phone and still no reply from Alice. She planned she would make a visit during lunch break. Alice never liked Bella getting all worked up on her, she was a grown up adult of 26 years and had a great job as a trainee designer.

After doing everything in a slow pace she managed to reach the station at 8. She noticed Charlie was already there. _'When does he sleep?' _Bella thought. He was on the phone so she just nodded and went to her cubicle. Soon after Charlie peeped in on her and said he would like to talk with her.

After sitting face to face for almost 10 minutes, Bella started to get up; she had been through these silent sessions many times.

"When was the last time you saw Alice?" That got Bella to turn around and look at her father. There was something in his voice he tried hiding. Charlie had no idea how to break the latest news he got.

Bella sat down again and replied, "We went for lunch yesterday. She hasn't replied to my message."

"When was that?"

"Last night…before I went to bed. Charlie, what happened?"

"Bella it's a serious matter and I don't want you freaking out."

"What happened to Alice dad?" she was playing her family card. Since her mother Renee died 8 years back, the whole family sense in Charlie increased.

"Alice has been abducted."

Bella shot out of her chair and shouted a "WHAT?"

"Bella please you need to calm down."

"To hell with calming down, when did this happen? Hell I'm going over to her place."

"Bella, stop, don't go. There's no one there." But it was in vain, she was already on her way.

Alice's parents were pretty well off, even for the New York standards and even though she managed to buy a condo from her own hard work, she usually shifted to her parent's house when they go abroad. She says she needs to take care of her mom's cat. Reality was, she was still too attached to leave, yet she wanted to be independent.

Her parents place wasn't too far and the traffic wasn't a major issue either. She had always admired the house, Mrs. Brandon herself being an interior decorator. Over the years she has looked up to her like a mother, it was like the Brandon's' had two daughters instead of one. Alice was all too happy to have a sister.

Coming out of her day-dream she entered the house, surprised that the door was unlocked. A figure moving in the shadows startled her, thankfully she was carrying her gun, "freeze" she called out pointing at the figure.

"Shit! What are you doing here?" a man hissed, apparently he had knocked a side table.

"It's the police. Sir, I advise you to leave."

It sure was, Edward could have recognized that voice anywhere. He came out into the light and smirked as he saw Bella's shocked expression.

"YOU!" Bella shouted, "I knew you'd be involved. What are you doing here?"

"I was investigating until you barged in, officer."

"Ha! As if a man like you would do THAT."

The gun was still in her hands pointing at Edward's chest, he had no idea what she was capable of doing, but he knew she would never shoot.

"And what's that suppose to mean?" he knew exactly what she meant, but he wanted to hear it anyway. "And can you please lower the gun; it's rude, especially during a conversation."

"This conversation is over Mr. Cullen. I'm calling reinforcement so we can do a thorough investigation." she said while lowering her gun back into the holster.

"No!"

"Excuse me?" she asked while holding her phone, ready to make that call.

In an impulse, Edward had her pinned to the nearest wall; he was able to grab her cell and threw it on a couch. Struggling in vain; knowing he was physically stronger than her, the first thought that came in her mind was to scream. Just as she opened her mouth, Edward blocked it by covering it with his hand.

"Shit women, what are you trying to do? Get the whole neighborhood involved?

Now she was really struggling to get free, so the only solution Edward could think of was trapping her with practically all his weight, well used most of his weight. Bella got startled; she could feel his every muscle through the shirt he was wearing. She hated him even more right now, but the way her body was sandwiched didn't go unnoticed. He wasn't too big built, just the kind who visited a gym everyday to be in shape. She hated the situation also right now, as the close proximity was getting her heated up, which wasn't helping her think right now either.

His face was too close to hers, and she could make out the well formed jaw line, prominent cheekbones. Messy hair which she had noticed the first time she saw him. Her first impression was 'sexy bed hair'; now the same thought disgusted her. It was bronze with…reddish highlights? No one would notice if they didn't look at it properly. As her eyes shifted lower, for the first time she noticed he had green eyes; sober type, nothing too creepy or flashy. And the same eyes were looking back at her with a look of amusement. That's when she realized she had been staring at him for god knows how long.

"Like what you see?" Edward couldn't help but make that comment with a smirk on his face. The look on her face was priceless. Edward already knew all of Bella's features. He had seen and admired her heart-shaped face, brown wavy hair and chocolate coloured eyes.

Suddenly Bella started struggling again and the smirk disappeared. He had to focus on the task at hand.

"Okay, here's the deal. You promise not to scream, let me explain and I'll let you go. You can nod."

After a moment she closed her eyes in defeat and nodded. That's when Edward released her and sat on the nearest couch. Bella soon followed him but didn't sit, "why aren't the police here?" she demanded.

"I told them not to interfere," he replied flatly.

"Why is that?"

"Bella sit down, it'll take some explaining to do... What do you think of us as?"

She took a seat adjacent to him and thought how to answer. Of all the time, _now_ Bella had to sympathize towards them? However Edward didn't give her much time much time, "Mafia? Thugs? Murderers in lay man's language?"

"On similar lines," she said lamely.

"Breaking news, we are none of those. Now shush and let me continue. Yes I agree my ancestral history has put a bad name for us. George Volturi, my grandfather was the master of the underworld. He was married to two women, however loved only one. His first marriage was more like an alliance. He loved my grandmother, Elizabeth, and never once let her know about his dark secret life. She died young, very young, when Carlisle was just 4. George loved Carlisle more than his elder son knowing he was the last evidence of Elizabeth. Just like her, neither did Carlisle know about the secrets of the underworld. That is, until one day, when he came home early from boarding school and accidently walked into a meeting in George's office. He couldn't believe what he saw and heard; they were scheming against a rival business and had planned on kidnapping his daughter.

The first thing Carlisle did was run. He was only 17 at that time. George never stopped loving him, even though Carlisle broke all connections. He even removed his name from his will; he couldn't take the blood stained money. He even gave up his surname 'Volturi' and took up 'Cullen', after his mother's maiden name."

Bella never saw that coming, okay it sounded like a genuine story but it doesn't explain his activities, yesterday and why he is at Alice's place.

"How is the fact that you are sitting here related if I may ask?"

"George died more than 2 decades ago, Emmett was 10 and I was 5. Aro Volturi, his elder son and Carlisle's half brother took over the family business. However he never got the full inheritance. George donated everything that was under Carlisle's name and that made Aro furious. To make him pay, Emmett was kidnapped. With a broken arm bone he was found in the hospital. That time Esme was pregnant and the results showed the baby was a girl. Carlisle didn't want her to suffer anything because of him; so she was given away to the Brandon's as soon as she was born."

"That's bull!"

"Carlisle knew John Brandon from school; he even knew that his wife was incapable of giving birth. They took over Alice's guardianship with open arms. However we have looked after her throughout."

"Well you weren't doing a very good job then."

"Oh no, I was, until you came after me with a goddamn gun! The man I killed yesterday was a fucking decoy. I should have known something was up." Now Edward was up on his feet and was pissed and irritated. He hated it when things were not in control, not in _his_ control.

Bella felt like her gut was in her throat. She knew it was totally her fault. If she wasn't so full of herself, Edward could have avoided this. Hell, she should have checked up on her when she hadn't replied last night. Her best friend was abducted and she was responsible.

Edward threw a phone in her direction. "She tried contacting you. A message is saved, never delivered, under your name. Your message is there too."

It was there indeed. She had typed in big shouty caps 'HELP!' and it was just saved as a draft. The phone clock indicated 12:03AM

She was so preoccupied that she didn't notice Edward get off the phone.

"You can go back to the station now. I'm leaving too" he spoke.

"Where…?"

"To get a lead."

"Then I'm coming with you."

"Oh no," he interrupted, "you stay away from this."

"Excuse me but Alice is my best friend and you very conveniently have informed me that I'm responsible for all this."

Edward couldn't believe this woman, wasn't she aware of how dangerous the situation was?

"Forget it. All you'll do is, ruin it even more."

"Why did you tell me all that then? And don't bull about how Alice is my best friend and I should know about this, because it's a little too late for introductions. You wanted me to know and get involved." She was really trying her luck actually.

Edward wasn't used to arguing with women, put him in a boardroom and he'll win no matter what, but never with a woman.

"I know who can give us a lead and I want some answers too."

"What are we waiting for then?"

They exited and Edward indicated her to move to his car. "You can leave your car here. We'll get it later." Bella was always impressed with what he drove; it was an Ashton Martin Vanquish. She didn't even want to know how much it had cost him. Edward being a gentleman came over to the passenger side and opened the door for her. The inside was even better than the outer body. It had a lot of leg space and very, very comfortable leather seats.

The Vanquish didn't make a single sound as Edward accelerated way above the speed limit. She realized they were heading towards the outskirts of the city and soon they came across a huge mansion. Edward spoke to the security guard and they were finally in.

When they were standing out on the porch, waiting for someone to open, Bella saw Edward's expression change. Suddenly there was anger all over his face.

A man opened the door; he would be in his late 30's and wore a loose shirt with black slacks. He looked surprised to see Edward. Before the man could greet them in, Edward stepped in front of him and punched him. The force definitely did some damage as the man lost his balance and fell on his back side. Either the house was empty or he ordered everyone to stay away. That's the two situations Edward could assume, he should have known what came next.

"Bella, this is James; he works in the company and Carlisle thinks of him as his right hand man. James, you must know Bella Swan?"

That little introduction was intended as Edward wanted James to know what a traitor he was.

"Edward please, I can explain." James voice sounded panicky.

"I would LOVE to hear that," Edward said in a sarcastic voice. As if his anger wasn't satisfied, he picked James up and slammed him on a wall. James was standing on his toes as Edward held him up from his shirt.

"Edward you don't have to go that far," Bella spoke from behind him.

"If I tell you what this bastard did, you'll agree with my actions."

"Please Edward," James tried begging, "They threatened my family. You know Aro wouldn't have left my daughter alone. I swear I have no idea where he got his assumptions from. Please you have to believe me."

"This bastard," Edward continued talking to Bella, "gifted Alice to the Volturi on a fucking platter. He was the ONLY one apart from my family and Charlie to know who Alice was. Yes Charlie knew. Aro's hatred towards Carlisle is very strong.

Now she understood his anger towards James; it was completely justified. She could feel Edward's sanity slipping away, James was making painful grunts and feeling helpless, Bella stepped beside Edward and asked James, "where is Alice you sick fuck?"

"I don't knoooo oowwww." The last part came out as a hiss. Edward knew he was losing it and he needed Bella to be calm, then at least one of them would be in control. He pushed James further into the wall and now his feet were nowhere in contact with the floor.

"Tell me you bastard, I don't feel like disposing off two bodies in a day," Edward spoke with poison dripping from his voice.

James eyes widened and he became aware of the threat in Edward's voice. He would do it and in his current position, he could. James frantically nodded, "yes, okay I'll tell you. Just put me down. I might know where she is."

After taking a deep breath Edward let him go.

"Talk."

And that is exactly what he did.

They were sitting in the living room, Edward made Bella sit beside himself and James was opposite them.

"The new main headquarters of the Volturi is in Volterra. So I'm assuming they have taken Alice there. However, I'm really sorry Edward; they have an inner business going on. It's not a normal abduction like that of Emmett's. Aro is very serious this time."

"What inner business? They are already involved in illegal dealings. How low can they go?"

"You'll be shocked…"

"We are not here to joke around James. Explain." Edward half spoke half barked.

"I truly am sorry, "James tried one last time because the next words coming out of his mouth would definitely get him killed, however he had to continue, this was the least he could do. "They have an underground system of human trafficking."

Bella felt pukish, it wasn't tough to add both the situations. She regretted eating breakfast because it was threatening to come out. Similar was the condition for Edward, it took all his strength to not get up and punch James to death. But he had other things to do and he saw the colour from Bella's face vanish away. He knew she was sick to her core, anyone would be, plus she was a woman and she could visualize Alice's vulnerability. He knew what to do next; he got up and James panicked, however he didn't even look at James, he turned to Bella and stretched out his hand towards her, "let's go our work here is done."

Bella gladly took his hand because god knows how much strength her legs were left with. They headed back towards the car and back home; James was still in a stiff position where he was sitting. He ran out the door and shouted, "forget it Edward, it's useless."

"You're in no position to talk," Edward replied and got in his car and soon all James saw was dust as the Vanquish sped away.

Jasper Hale was Edward's right hand man. He was the manager of the electronics department; he was also one of the smartest guys Edward knew. Once they headed towards the highway, Edward opened his phone and dialed Jasper's number; his planning had to start as soon as possible.

The phone was on speaker as Edward heard him pick it up, "Jasper it's me, I need the company plane for tomorrow. Can you keep it prepared?"

"Dude easy there. What happened? Sorry buddy, Emmett took the plane over to London." Jasper replied from the other end

Shit, he had forgotten about that. "Then I need bookings. I don't give a damn about the airport to anyplace closest to Volterra. Let me know ASAP."

"Got it, just you?"

"Make it two," Bella jumped in the conversation.

"No just me Jasper." Edward looked at her warningly.

"Dude who're you with?" Jasper sounded curious.

Bella was cursing him under her breath and giving him the death glares.

Edward released a deep sigh and replied, "meet me in the evening and I'll explain. Got any flights?" after a moment's gap he added, "make that 2 buddy." Bella couldn't believe that he had agreed. She had no idea how Charlie would react, but now all she had to think of was save Alice from the creepy psychopaths in Volterra.

"Yeah I got two flights from JFK. One goes uptil Florence and other to Pisa. One gives you a 9:35AM arrival and other at 10:50AM"

"Which is shorter?"

"Pisa. 11 hours and 30 minutes. Departure is at 1720 hours, it connects in Rome. Wow check this out, distance between Pisa and Volterra is shorter than that from Florence."

"Perfect Jazz, book it, I can take the details later also. Oh and I'll need a rental there too. Check a few convenient hotels while you're at it."

"Got it! I'll get everything done by evening. Good luck Edward, with whatever you are planning."

"Thanks buddy. Bye." With that he shut his phone and continued to drive. Rest of it was covered in silence and soon they were again in front of Alice's house.

Again Edward came to the passenger side to open the door for Bella.

"Don't regret this; I'll let you in the details after I'm done with Jasper."

All she could do was nod. She couldn't believe the whole day's activities and it was still just lunch time. She didn't know what to do; she didn't want to eat out alone so she dropped a message for Charlie and headed home. She didn't feel like eating, she was doubtful her stomach could take it in.

That day Charlie came home early and carried a large box of pizza. Bella always imagined what he would do if she wasn't there to cook for him. He would have either starved or had all the junk the town could provide.

After hours of not eating, the pizza was looking very tempting, so she hogged on it.

It wasn't until 8 that Edward gave her a call. She was surprised how he got her number, but that wasn't the main issue. He gave her the flight details, departure and arrival and even when he'll come to pick her up. As guessed Charlie was not at all pleased with what Bella was getting into. However he didn't fight much. He knew how important this was, especially with her current thinking. Also, he believed in Edward and that he would take care of her, then again, it wasn't important to mention this to her.

Bella couldn't decide what to pack; it wasn't business they were dealing with. Just to be on the safer side, she packed a navy blue suit, a pair of jeans, a bunch of random t-shirts and lastly a dress. She couldn't believe she was keeping it. Alice had gifted it on her birthday; it was a plain elegant black halter dress with matching wedges. She didn't know what she was expecting, but she kept it anyway. _It's not like Edward will take me out for dinner, _she thought. Before she could change her mind, she dumped in other essentials and zipped her handbag.

She couldn't sleep properly that night. She kept on thinking about Alice and how she would be.

Edward was proud of Jasper and how he pulled off everything this fast, but then again you should never underestimate him. The copy of the tickets was in his hands, all he had to do was collect the originals from the counter before immigration. Thankfully he had Bella's number for awhile now, _stalker much?_ He thought to himself _Naah!_ He gave a quick call to her, gave her the details and went back to packing. He was carrying two of his suits for emergency, a pair of dark jeans and a bunch of shirts. That's when he remembered he had forgotten to tell her what all to pack_. _"Gah! She's smart enough to figure that out," he spoke out in his empty room. He was in no mood of eating anything, so he just went into the kitchen and made a cup of coffee. He had always loved his penthouse; he moved in a few years back when he realized it would be better to live independently and give Carlisle and Esme more privacy. Emmett got married a year ago, so Esme has been giving Edward those looks saying go and find a girl whenever the brothers attended weekend lunches at their parents' home. Mothers!

He finally went to bed but couldn't sleep. He remembered how tense Carlisle and Esme were when they found out what had happened. Emmett wasn't informed yet, however Edward took sole responsibility of the issue. He promised no matter what happens he would bring his sister back home.

The flight was scheduled for 5:20PM which gave him ample time to go to his parents place and update them into what was happening.

Bella thought staying home would make her restless and bored, so she planned on going to the station. All she could do was clean up her desk for the time she'll be away. None of them had any idea for how long they'd be going.

Just as planned Edward was at Bella's door at 2PM sharp. It took them around half an hour to reach JFK airport and after that everything happened in a flash. She should have guessed that Edward would travel in first class. They both were in their casual clothes, looking as if they were going for a vacation. Thankfully the first class passengers are ushered first, they didn't have to wait for long. She was left awestruck as she entered, she couldn't believe the space they provided in this section.

Edward settled in beside her and the close proximity brought back pleasant memories. However if she wanted to survive the journey, she would either have to sleep through it or avoid him. None of them were easier said than done.

"You can still back out you know," he spoke in a concerned voice.

She shook her head and replied, "No! Alice is my best friend and I can't abandon her like that. Plus what do you know about her anyway?"

"Don't underestimate me," he said in a challenging voice. She was shocked how he managed to change his tone every two second.

"What's her favorite colour?" Bella asked playing along.

"Purple. She believes it has healing powers. Something she learned from that Japanese shit you both did together?"

"Firstly it's not shit, it's Reiki. And it is a healing technique."

"Yadda yadda yadda. Next thing I'll be hearing is you both have gone to India to follow Baba Ramdev," he said with a chuckle.

"Baba what?"

"Ramdev, the guy is a huge sensation in India; famous for his breathing techniques and weird medicines."

Bella shook her head in disbelief, that's when an involuntary yawn escaped her mouth. She was a little too comfortable on her seat and she felt really sleepy. The next thing she realized was Edward shaking her up indicating that the dinner was being served. She couldn't believe while sleeping she had shifted towards him and was literally leaning on his shoulder as a headrest. She immediately straightened up a little embarrassed. The whole meal was a silent affair and after dinner Edward showed her how to recline the seat; probably to avoid her from drooling all over his shirt. He had asked for 2 blankets and as she took a sleeping pose, he draped it over her; it was so comfortable that she fell into another long sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.

The next time she woke up was during the landing; she couldn't believe how 11 and half hours flew by.

"Morning," Edward said while stretching his arms and legs.

"Morning to you too," Bella replied while yawning and rubbing her eyes. She peeped out the window and could see the town. Bella hated the landing part, it always troubled her ears; due to the atmosphere level change, her ears pop like crazy, and this one was no exception either. She tried swallowing her spit as much as possible; her mother had taught her that technique and it always helped. Finally they had successfully landed and she was glad nothing serious had happened to her ear condition.

She noticed Edward get up to collect their bags, she stood up beside him and took hers as he brought it down. It didn't take long to get out of the airport and Edward spotted their rented car just where Jasper had described it would be. It was a silver Volvo, definitely not as impressive as the Vanquish, but it had to do. But for Edward, it struck home; on his 16th birthday Carlisle and Esme had gifted him a Volvo and he fell in love with it the moment he saw it. He was sad when he had to say goodbye to it, however the Vanquish brought him better memories in his later years.

"Jasper!" Edward mumbled under his breath which caused Bella to ask a "What?"

"The Volvo was my first car. Bet Jasper ordered this on purpose." Edward chuckled even more whereas Bella was still dumbstruck.

As they got in the car Edward said, "The guns are in the flap in front of you." Bella again gave a confused looked so Edward explained; "I knew we won't be able to carry then on the flight and Jasper knows the car dealer. They'll come in handy and don't worry officer they are registered."

Bella took them out and realized they were lighter than the one she used back home. Then she placed them back in and sat back in her seat. Edward had definitely thought things through.

The drive to the hotel was short; Jasper had done some research and finally found a place nearby, else they had to first drive an hour to a hotel then again an hour to Volterra. During the drive Edward updated Bella on what he thought they should do. They were to reach the hotel room, freshen up then head up to Volterra and start on some searching. Jasper had given him a few start points

The hotel where Jasper had booked them was 'Relais dell'Orologio'. Bella was again awed by the beauty. It was a result of the meticulous restoration and subsequent transformation of a 14th century tower house.

Edward didn't want to use his real name so he had done the reservation under 'Mr. Mason' and his secretary 'Ms. Sanders'. Bella gave him a questioning look to which he explained that it would be better to remain anonymous here and that Mason was his middle name which he dropped after college. The suite was huge and decorated in antique furniture. It had two rooms side by side so Edward let her pick first. It even had a huge living space with full wall length windows.

They didn't have much time to explore the suite as Bella ran into the huge bathroom and took a quick bath. Edward did the same; they had planned on meeting within half an hour. Bella was dressed in her favorite fair of dark skinny jeans and a beige tank top; surprisingly she matched Edward who was wearing dark coloured jeans and a light brown shirt. They laughed on the fact that they matched.

By the time they left their suite, it was already mid-day so they planned on grabbing a quick bite. The lunch was ready as they entered 'Hallet's' Restaurant. Bella had never tried traditional Tuscan cuisine and she was surprised to know she actually liked it. In about an hour they were finally in the car and on their long drive to Volterra. Most of the distance was covered in silence; Bella was mostly admiring the beautiful scenery. In between Edward would pop up with a fact.

The drive took a total of 1 hour 20 minutes, but Edward was glad they were finally there. Now it was just a matter of time that they would get some lead.

The first place Jasper mentioned was the Roman Theatre, but something told him to strike it out. Other places involved a cathedral and a museum which he highly doubted. The one place that his gut led him to was the Medicean Fortress.

"What's this?" Bella questions from beside him; they were now standing right in front of it.

"It is a Medicean Fortress. Have you ever heard of the house of Medici?" Edward continued as Bella shook her head, "it was a political dynasty, banking family and later a royal house. It began to gather prominence under Cosimo de'Medici in the province of Florence during the 14th century."

"Oh wait I think I know that name. I read it in a book not long ago." Edward gave her a skeptical look with a sarcastic, "seriously?"

"Yes, it was a good book." Edward just shook his head and they headed in.

The fortress was massive and it took them awhile to explore the whole thing. When Edward was about to give up, thinking his instincts were wrong and they should start from the theatre, Bella called out that she had found something. It was like a small underground entrance, very suspicious to both of them. Edward suggested he'd lead the way. Just for precaution they both took out their guns that they had collected before getting out of the car. Edward could see a dim light coming from a corner and Bella was right behind him. He tried peeping in and then he heard loud voices. Apparently they were playing cards and Edward recognized two of them; they were Demetri and Felix. He had seen them just once and knew they were loyal to Aro; Edward did not want to get caught here, not like this.

Just as he stepped back Bella tapped on his shoulder which startled him but thank god no noise came out. Bella pointed at an unlocked door so they entered it. The scene was pure horrid! There was a huge bed and a girl was laying on it, a naked girl. She would barely be 20 years old and her hands were tied to the bedpost. It was difficult to see due to such dim light but the thing that shocked them most was the white fuzzy substance coming out of her mouth. There was no doubt the girl was dead, cause, drug overdose. He felt Bella's body go numb and he had to support her just to keep her standing. It wasn't safe here anymore and he carried Bella out of the hell hole.

By the time they reached the hotel, it was already dark and Bella had regained her strength. Even though she felt sick all the way to her bones, she had to be strong for Alice's sake. She wanted to skip dinner but Edward forced her into eating something, he didn't want her to sleep empty stomach. He put Bella to bed and then came back to his room. He had a few things to go through, he didn't know much about this whole process of what Aro was trying to pull off, but he was certain Aro wouldn't have sent Alice there. She is too precious to him to just kill her. The thoughts of it made him sick. The first call went to Jasper and next to James. None of the calls were pleasant and he just didn't want to accept it without more searching.

That's when he heard low sobs and it didn't take him long to realize it was coming from the next room. His heart sunk at the thought of Bella crying, so he made his way over to her room. It wasn't locked so he walked right in and saw Bella had balled up in her bed and the sheets were tangled around her body. He went closer and sat on the edge of the bed. He placed a hand on her and pulled her towards him. Bella clung onto Edward's shirt and her sobs went louder. They sat there in that position for god knows how long; Edward kept reassuring her it'll be okay and comforted her as his hands moved on her back, up and down. After awhile her sobs died but her head was still buried under his neck.

Slowly Bella raised her head and came face to face with a sad Edward. He wiped her cheeks with his thumb and kept staring into her eyes. He had always loved the colour of her eyes, whoever said that the eyes were the window to your soul were damn right.

Bella could feel a spark as she made eye contact with Edward and for the second time also she was awestruck by the depth of his green eyes. The room was definitely being charged up and it didn't go unnoticed by either of them. Edward started to get up when Bella grabbed his shirt, "I'm just going to get some water. I'll come back."

And he did, he didn't want to leave Bella alone, not in her current condition. He knew he had to believe Jasper and James and first thing in the morning, he would contact James and get everything ready. He didn't want Bella to encounter another such event. Out of all the things he regrets in his life, stealing Bella's vulnerability would be one he would never forget. He stayed the night in Bella's bed, above the covers of course, but still he had her scooped up in his arms and they both fell fast asleep without a single sob from Bella.

Bella slept through the morning and it was only during lunch time that he woke her up. They had to talk about yesterday's events and new plans.

Neither of them wanted to leave the room so Edward had asked for room-service. He then briefed her about how he already knew Demetri and Felix from before and that they were there yesterday. Coming to the main part, he told her how he thinks Alice is too important to Aro to keep her in such a shitty place. As much as that was good news, the worst followed. He had noticed last night that Bella had carried a dress with her.

"It's time to make good use of that dress you got."

"I don't think that'll be very comfortable in going around weird places."

"We are not going to weird places. Bella this might sound horrible but this is the safest and the only way. We can't waste much time. Listen carefully, James got info that there's a round of auctioning happening tonight."

"I don't get it. What is being auctionnnn…shit" Bella said when she got her own answer; she clasped her mouth with her hand in disbelief.

Edward nodded and continued, "Alice could be there. We have to take a chance."

"So you're saying we run away with her that time? Won't that be dangerous? How will we enter?"

"I have taken care of that. I'll be one of the bidders."

"NOoo. Don't tell me, you gonna buy your own sister?"

"No! Gosh woman you make it sound so cheap and bad. It'll be just so that we can enter."

"Okay so when do we leave?"

"As soon as we get ready to go," Edward said with a small smile on his face.

After finishing lunch Bella ran to the bathroom; she never liked bathing right after a meal, it makes her stomach weird, however this was a different situation. She washed her hair; blow dried them, put on little makeup and finally slipped in her dress.

Edward felt horrible in letting her in another dirty situation that would happen in a matter of time only. He had to be prepared for the worse, what if Demetri and Felix were there? Most probably they would be. It would be like a nightmare for both of them to see Alice in god knows which condition.

He had quickly changed into one of the black suits he had packed after a quick shower and was now waiting in the living room for Bella. As soon as the door opened, all thoughts left him, for a minute he even forgot where he was. Saying Bella was looking beautiful would be the understatement of the century!

Her black dress just fell on all curves and on all the right places. It came up to her knees and her legs looked longer than usual with the shoes she was wearing. It took all his strength into not ogling at her with his mouth dropped open.

Edward didn't want to overdo anything so he gave a quick compliment as to how beautiful she was looking to which she blushed and soon they were out again.

This time the drive was even more silent than the last. Bella just didn't stop fidgeting with the dress. She wasn't the dress kind of person, but when Alice is determined to do anything, she does it! And again her thoughts dragged her back to Alice, but then again, both of them had their minds in process at the moment. Around 4ish they had managed to reach the Medecean Fortress again, just this time they were ushered to a back entry. Who could have guessed it would have a huge manor on the backside.

It was huge! None of them were surprised as Edward had informed her how well equipped Aro liked being. He's probably catering for all his guards and even their families.

"Mr. Mason?" a middle aged man asked without paying a heed to Bella. His voice sounded bored; bored from this monotonous work.

"Yes," Edward replied and they were ushered in.

Edward was praying no one sees him this early and the main living area was huge. It could have hosted a whole town. However it wasn't crowded at all, just a few bastards here and there, probably other bidders who weren't satisfied by their wife's and even mistresses that now they were in search for slaves. Edward felt Bella get a little nervous so he placed his hand on the small of her back and reassured her that it'll be okay.

Just to avoid any kind of socializing, they went around. The place had a lot of vacant rooms which they guessed would be for guests. Apart from that there was nothing suspicious about the whole house. He still hadn't spotted anyone that could recognize him and that was a good sign.

Soon they were asked to enter the conference room and this room definitely looked suspicious! The lights were dim; a small platform kind of structure was in the front and a bunch of seating arrangements. It wasn't hard to figure out how on a normal bases this could easily be a normal conference room, but with such arrangements, it literally showed how low the Volturi's had fallen.

Edward and Bella took a backseat just to avoid others and soon _products_ were released as they very proudly announced the first one to enter. Bella's whole body stiffened and he had to wrap his one arm around her shoulder just to stop her from shaking.

This went on for awhile as the first girl was sold to a pot bellied glutton. They both felt sad for her fate, but they needed to focus. The last girl that was released was the one that caught their attention. She was shorter than the others and only her short black spiky hair were visible; the rest of her body was covered with a sheet which she held onto for her dear life. It was Alice!

Edward had to think of what to do, if he places a bid they'll surely get caught however they had to take the risk. Bella was becoming strong upon seeing Alice there he guessed. He looked at her and somehow they were thinking the same thing or so they both thought. Both gave a quick nod and before getting up he patted on the side of her thigh. That was where she was carrying her gun; the security was barely there, so carrying it in was no problem, her main concern was her dress and shoes. Bella throughout stared at Alice as if trying to give her a signal to look at her, but her head was bent low. This was not the Alice she knew; the previous Alice was chirpy and could never settle down.

She didn't even hear Edward placing a bid; _wait he placed a bid?_ Bella thought and got up. Well at least that made Alice look up and while scanning the room she finally spotted Bella.

"A Cullen?" Edward heard and saw Demetri at the same time and knew he was in trouble. He took out his gun and took a few aims at him; unfortunately he ducked so it was ineffective. Edward ran towards the platform and grabbed Alice and bolted towards the exit door.

Alice looked at Bella weakly and said, "you finally wore it!" before going into unconsciousness.

Bella was right behind him taking shots at the guards approaching them. Edward threw his gun also towards her; even though Bella has never killed anyone, this was no exception either. She didn't aim to kill, just to injure and slow them down. She was surprised she could even run in her shoes. Thankfully the whole thing wasn't happening far from the entry way; however their way was blocked by Felix. Edward was about to hand Alice over to Bella and ready himself to fight against Felix when he saw his body going numb on the floor before them. Jasper was standing there glad to see he had made it on time.

Jasper took hold of Alice from Edward who was now unconscious about her surroundings.

"The plane is waiting, we need to leave now!" Jasper said while ushering them back to the car. They ditched Jasper's rental and soon they were out of here for good.

Within 2 hours they had their bags packed and were sitting in the company plane. Alice was sleeping in the single cabin at the back and Jasper was in front responsible for the flight.

"You go off to sleep; it's been a tough day. I'll go check on Jasper," Edward spoke.

But sleep was the last thing in her mind so she simply said she's fine.

Both their lives had taken a 180 degree turn and it would finally go back to normal or so they both hoped. One thing won't go back to normal; that is Edward and Bella's relationship. Definitely not when Edward kissed her the way he did.

**Lemme know your views, please review!**

**I'm sorry but don't expect a multi chapter fic lol, thats all, the whole essence of it will go away, however i will write outtakes, but thats a little later. First will be Jasper POV outtake. so hope you guys will stick around for that^^**


	2. Update: Outtake now posted

Hello everyone!

Thanks to all those who took the time to read and review my short story. I'm sorry if it seemed confusing for some, please let me know what confused you and I'll be more than glad to get back. I don't want my readers to be confused^^

Well I mentioned an outtake and now it's posted. I know it took sooooo long, but I'm a lazy bum-_-.

You can now check the outtake Jasper's POV in my account. Please do review and let me know what you people think. I always like hearing from you guys, it's like a boost, an encouragement for me.

Also I'll be posting a new fanfiction ExB AH. I'm done with the first chapter and will post it soon. Won't guarantee any update as you know how lazy I can be, lol, but I'm back in my writing swing, so lets see, hopefully I'll be back soon.

Thank you once again^^

-Trilby.


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